Samsara
by Aurora Enkeli Medeis
Summary: Post-Hogwarts, after the events of the final battle Harry retires to muggle London to find himself in love with the underground rock scene. Fronting for his band at one of many gigs a fellow wizarding recluse makes himself known. Eyeliner, guitars, fishne
1. Life and Music as They Now Stand

**Notes**: So here we go embarking on this fic. It's the first time I've written original characters so it is an experience! This, of course, will be Draco/Harry slash eventually but some of you probably know me well enough to know that already. My sheer obsession with popular (or should that be rock/metal/punk/gothic) culture is obvious once more and I like to think my appreciation and love of music will show …then again it may not!

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Disclaimer:** J.K Rowling and her publishers own Harry Potter and everything associated with that world. I, however, _do_ own Harry's band and everything else that has been utterly made up by my over active and over worked imagination.

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Dedication:** Campaspe (CS Whitewolf) because we rock and we always will …and to Brody Dalle (the gorgeous, talented front woman for The Distillers) because it was a picture of her in a bra licking a guitar that sparked this whole debacle.

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Samsara: (Hinduism and Buddhism) noun** _the endless cycle of birth and suffering and death and rebirth._

Harry threw a crumpled t-shirt over his head as he raided through the mess on the floor of his bedroom. He wouldn't leave  
without it; it just had to be here somewhere.

"There you are you little bastard!" He proclaimed as he pulled a half-used black eyeliner from inside a sock.

"Who or what are you yelling at now Potter?" Harry rolled his eyes as the voice of his flatmate and band member, Matt, drifted through from the hallway. For almost two years now, since leaving Hogwarts, Harry had lived in this two bedroom flat with Alex, Seth and Matt. They had formed their band and bonded over the knowledge that they were all recluses from the wizarding world.

Each of them had their own story, things they had run away from. Neither Seth, Alex nor Matt had batted an eye on discovering that Harry was in fact Harry Potter: wizarding saviour. Harry was accepted on who he was, and as had turned out: how well he sang.

"I'm yelling at my eyeliner that some how made it's way into your sock." He heard Matt chuckling as he stuck his head round the door. His hair was blue (today at least) and gelled up into short spikes. He was wearing his now trademark, ripped up Korn t-shirt over ridiculously baggy jeans.

"Well move your ass, Alex and Seth are already at the club." Harry let out a loud tut as he scrambled up from the floor, kicking a jumper that had fixed itself around his foot across the room.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that we should tidy this place up." Harry said musingly as he surveyed the mess of his and Alex's room.

"Well you can do it 'cause Alex sure as hell won't." Harry murmured an agreement as he came out into the hallway, tripping over his shoelace as he went. He scowled at Matt who was laughing at Harry's misfortune.

Harry pulled his jacket from the couch and threw it on, standing before Matt who raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Harry asked bemused.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Harry frowned and looked around the room as he patted down his pockets.

Wallet: check.

Eyeliner: check.

Mobile phone: check.

Plectrums: check.

His eyes scanned over Matt who was standing by the door with a pointed look on his face, guitar slung over his shoulder.

"Ah." Was all Harry said as he darted back into Alex and his bedroom: he would need a guitar to go along with those plectrums. He picked up the black guitar from his unmade bed and stuffed it quickly in the case before slinging it over his shoulder.

Harry darted out the room (tripping over someone's abandoned shoe in the process) and stood in front of Matt in the hallway.

"Do I have everything now?" Harry asked him. Matt rolled his eyes as he turned to the door and opened it.

"Yes you do, honestly Potter, you'd forget your limbs if they weren't securely attached." Matt replied as Harry closed the dark red wooden door behind them. Matt handed Harry his keys before heading to the top of the stairs. Harry fumbled around, searching through numerous key rings before actually finding the door key.

He slid it in the lock and turned it with a click. He clipped the keys onto the chain that was dangling from his black, baggie trousers. Harry walked to the top of the stairs and the pair walked carefully down the stone steps, being careful not to hit their guitars off the walls as they turned the numerous corners.

Living on the fourth floor of a block of flats that didn't have an elevator had its major disadvantages. Especially when trudging back from a gig (very often slightly inebriated) and having to carry three amplifiers, two guitars, a bass guitar and various bits of drum kit up the flights of spiralled stone steps.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and walked through the dark corridor to the outside door. Matt opened it and held it open for Harry who stumbled out into the street. Matt laughed as he closed the door behind them and they walked over to Matt's car.

"You really haven't had much luck tonight have you?" Matt asked rhetorically as he fought to unlock the driver's side door. "God damn it!" He said, hitting the window when the door finally opened, "the first thing I'm doing when we make it big is buying a car that actually works." He proclaimed as he slid his guitar over onto the back seat.

Harry snorted as he stood and waited for Matt to unlock his door. Matt stretched over the passenger seat and popped open the lock. Harry pulled the heavy door open, slipping his guitar from his shoulder and sliding it in the back of the car next to Matt's.

Matt turned the ignition, starting the car and turning the newly installed CD player on. The heavy bass line and crunching guitar riffs of Korn's 'Ball Tongue' came blaring out the speakers causing Harry to jump. Matt chuckled and turned the volume down.

"Best investment I've made yet." Matt declared, casting a fond glance at the CD player before pulling out onto the road. Harry rolled his eyes.

"That may be true but really, you should find a new band to listen to." Harry teased. Matt glared but kept his eyes on the road.

"I worked my ass off at that god forsaken job to pay for this so if I want to listen to the same band over and over then I bloody well will." Harry chuckled at how defensive Matt always got when his taste in bands was challenged.

Harry popped open the glove compartment and rummaged around through receipts, leaflets and wrappers as he chewed on his lip ring. He pulled out the advertisement for their gig that night. It was the bands first one as the only act: normally it was them and three or four other rookie bands. The flyer was bright green, the band's name 'Samsara' emblazoned in bold, black lettering with the bands symbol (a black circle with silver wings and the outline of a coffin drawn inside the circle) underneath.

"You should find a job you like. Take me and Alex for instance," Harry began as he pulled a very crushed looking pack of cigarettes from underneath a ticket stub, "we like our job and don't mind showing up to work."

"That's just because you can spend all day ogling the cute gothic guys who come in the shop." Matt snorted.

Harry took one of two cigarettes out the packet and put it between his lips.

"What's your point?" Harry said with smirk as he rummaged around for a lighter. Matt shifted in his chair, taking one hand off the wheel as he stuffed a hand into his pocket. He pulled out a transparent blue lighter and handed it to Harry.

Harry clicked the lighter a few times until the spark finally turned into a flame. He brought it to the tip of the cigarette and lit it. Harry tossed the packet (known by Matt, Harry and Alex as the 'just in case stash') back into the glove compartment and clicked it shut as he took a long drag.

He wound down the window and leant his elbow on the armrest as he held the cigarette out the window. Harry exhaled as Matt began drumming along with his thumbs on the steering wheel. Instantly Harry recognized the gesture.

While on stage and even before going on, Matt would become overly confident and musically obsessed, every sentence and action having an underlying hint of his musical talent. He would drum on pretty much any surface, sing guitar solos and ponder whether a certain riff should be played a fret higher. Everyone who knew Matt simply humoured him, as they knew he was covering how nervous he actually was.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up outside the club and got quickly out the car. They both slid their guitars from the back seat and slung them over their shoulders before locking the car and heading to the doors of the club.

Matt looked at his watch as the bouncer gave them a brief nod before opening the door. They played this club a lot and were well known by security and bar staff alike.

"We've still got half an hour until we're due on, looks like your luck is improving already." Harry laughed as they ascended the stairs.

"About fucking time you showed up." Came a voice from further up the purple painted stairwell. Matt replied before Harry could.

"Hey Alex. Blame Potter." He said as they came to the first landing and gestured his head towards Harry. Alex came bounding down the stairs, his black leather trousers sitting low on his thin hips adorned by numerous chains. His torso was covered with a black fishnet top.

He brought his hand to his mouth and took a drag of his half-smoked cigarette. Harry eyed him with scrutinizing gaze.

"Isn't that my nail polish?" He asked, indicating to Alex's turquoise nails. Alex exhaled the smoke and raised a pierced eyebrow at Harry.

"Isn't that my nail polish?" Alex countered by gesturing his cigarette to Harry's own dark green nails. Harry frowned at his own hand.

"You have a point there …but it matches my top so well, what's a boy to do?" Harry said dramatically as he, Alex and Matt made their way up the second lot of stairs. They reached the top and were greeted by the sound of a snare drum being hit rhythmically.

"Sound check already started then I see?" Harry remarked as the trio wandered into the hall. It wasn't a huge venue. The stage wasn't much higher up than the dance floor: there was only one step up to it. The room held around three hundred people making it an intimate show where you could practically feel the heat coming off the other people in the room.

Harry would come from the stage dripping in his own sweat and the bottled water he would pour. He would probably stink of smoke and beer as well and he absolutely loved it. While at Hogwarts he had hated being in the spotlight but now; he thrived on it. No one in the crowd was staring at him because he was the boy-who-lived: they were staring because they appreciated his music.

The continual beating of the drum stopped when Seth spotted them coming in. He stood up from the tattered, leather-covered stool, raising his drumsticks to them in greeting. Matt waved across the hall, gesturing for Seth to stay where he was as Harry plucked Alex's cigarette from between his fingers, earning himself a slap across the back of the head.

Harry stepped up onto the stage, propping his guitar up against an amp.

"Nice of you to finally show up." Seth said as he sat back down behind the drum kit, smoothing down the back of his dark blond ponytail. Harry took a drag of the cigarette and waited for Matt's inevitable moan about it being Harry's fault.

"You know these boys and their eyeliner Seth. This bloody idiot here," he said inclining his head towards Harry "couldn't find a plectrum in a guitar shop."

"Hey I resent that." Harry said indignantly as he unzipped his guitar case. He heard the feedback coming from an amp that had been switched on followed by the sound of familiar bass guitar riffs. He took his guitar out of the case and slung the strap over his shoulder. Taking one of many cables from a tangled pile, Harry slipped one end into the butt of his guitar and the other into the amp. He rummaged inside his pockets for a plectrum and finally pulled a pink one out. Just as he was checking the tuning of the D string he saw, out the corner of his eye, Steve (one of the bartenders) sliding over the doors, signalling to the band that the bouncers were now letting people into the venue.

Harry finally finished perfecting the tuning of all six strings and took his guitar off, standing it against the side of an amp. He went through into one of the backstage rooms where Matt had deposited the jackets and guitar cases and Alex and Seth had left their things earlier.

He crossed the room, avoiding various empty bottles of beer and plastic cups that Alex had obviously been at before Harry and Matt had arrived. Harry groped in his left pocket, eventually pulling out the earlier elusive eyeliner. He stepped in front of a graffiti covered mirror on the back, white washed wall. He chuckled and rolled his eyes at his own bands scrawlings: Alex's proclamation of 'Ville Valo is God', Seth's untidy words that were saying 'Kurt Cobain, R.I.P', various reiterations of the word 'Korn' that Matt seemed to enjoy writing every time he was in the room. Harry's own contribution to the mirror had been a drawing of snitch beside a drawing of a guitar.

Harry closed his left eye, pulling the lid tight with his left hand as his right dragged a thick line of black across the lid. He opened his eye, pulling the skin tight again as he drew a thick line under his bottom lashes. He repeated the action on his other eye before going over to the couch where Alex's jacket had been thrown over a cushion. Harry felt around inside the jacket pockets until his fingers clasped around the tell tale plastic casing of shimmering black eye shadow. He carried it back to the mirror, popping it open and running the pad of the brush over the pressed powder. He swept it across his left top lid and then his right. He applied more shadow to the brush and proceeded to run it over the line of eyeliner on the bottom lid.

He tossed the eye shadow and his eyeliner onto Alex's jacket. Turning back to the mirror he ran the pad of his index finger just beneath the make-up on his bottom lid, leaving it deliberately smudged. He stood back and admired his reflection, reasoning that he should have gotten his eyes fixed long before he actually had.

"Are you done preening yet?" said Seth as he stuck his head around the door. Harry turned around and wandered back across the room, kicking cups out of his way as he did so.

"Yes I am." He stated plainly before making sure the right side of hair was smoothed down and sweeping properly over his face, half covering his right eye. Over the last three years away from Hogwarts Harry had grown his hair out considerably, the extra weight coupled with a charm he had learned from reading a Witch Weekly keeping it tidier than it had ever been. The left hand side was still short and messed up but the longer bit of his hair was brushed in a side parting and was swept over to the other side.

"Okay now I am." Seth rolled his eyes and Harry straightened the ring that pierced the side of his lip once Seth had turned around.

They walked down the short corridor to the side of the small stage where they were greeted by Alex handing Harry a vodka and coke.

"Get that down you quickly." Alex commanded as he downed his own drink. Harry did the same, crushing the plastic cup in his fingers and throwing it at the back of Matt's head. The blue haired man turned around and glared at Harry who merely looked innocent as he went back to pick up his guitar.

"Everyone remembers the set list this time right?" Harry asked. Seth and Matt hid snorts of amusement as Alex sighed exasperatedly.

"That was one time Harry, won't you ever let it go?" Harry gave Alex a pointed look, "Don't look at me like that, I did well for one so stoned!"

Harry chuckled as Alex strapped on his bass and took one last drag of yet another cigarette before stubbing it out in an ashtray.

Alex nodded to Harry, who turned and nodded to Matt- who now had his guitar strapped around his shoulder- who in turn nodded to Seth who walked out and sat behind the drum kit. Matt went out next, walking to the farthest side of the stage followed by Alex who stood by the microphone stand at the side nearest the offstage area. Harry took a breath and wandered out into the centre of the stage, taking up position behind the middle microphone stand, set to the exact height that he liked.

The two hundred and fifty or so people clapped enthusiastically, the odd cheer coming from them as well. Harry turned to Alex who was grinning. Alex loved being on stage, not that Harry didn't but it took at least three songs before his nerves dissipated and his on-stage 'persona' took over. For once though Harry took great joy in the fact that the claps weren't out of politeness. These people were here to see Samsara, no one else.

Harry turned and nodded to Seth who counted to four with the drumsticks before he and Alex began playing a drum beat and bass line that complimented one another. Harry brought his mouth close to the microphone.

"This first song," he said as the beat continued behind him, "is about how powerful someone's sexuality can be." He gave Matt a pointed look, the blue haired boy knowing that Harry was referring to how insane he (Matt) had gone over his ex-girlfriend.

Matt came in playing a high pitched riff once before Harry brought his mouth back to the microphone, lips barely brushing the metal as he began singing.

"Well he can't sleep at night, and he can't do what's right," Matt began strumming a quick paced riff on the bottom E and A string, "It was all because she came into his life, it's a deep obsession, taking up his time."

Harry came in playing the same riff as Matt, hitting the strings harder as the volume and force of the song increased. Harry switched to strumming the chord progression as Alex stepped up to the other microphone to join Harry in singing the chorus.

"She's all that he wants," they sang, Alex's higher pitched rustic sounding voice complimenting Harry's deeper melodic tones "She's all that he needs, she's every thing he just won't believe. Take away his doubt turn him inside out, then she can see what he's been dying to say." Alex moved from his microphone leaving Harry to take the final line of the chorus by himself, "But thing's don't always turn out that way."

Harry ceased the chord progression, Matt's low riff continuing as an undertone to the bass and drumbeats.

"And he must confess, all the impure thoughts of his beautiful temptress, although he keeps it all, bottled up inside," Harry's voice began gaining force as he went back to the low riff, "although he keeps it all safe within his mind, oh yeah."

Seth brought the drums into the song louder and louder as Harry heavily played the chords and he and Alex switched microphones to sing the chorus again.

"She's all that he wants, she's all that he needs, she's every thing he just won't believe. Take away his doubt, turn him inside out, then she can see what he's been dying to say," Alex wrenched himself from the microphone and stepped up to the platform where the drum kit was situated.

"But thing's don't always turn out that way, no things don't always turn out that way." Harry sang, a shake of his head adding the theatrics of the performance.

"So wipe that smile off your face, before it gets to late, there's only so much time for you to make up your mind," a similar drum fill to the earlier one was banged out as Harry pounded hard on the strings of his black guitar.

"But things don't always turn out that way." He took a step back as Seth played a powerful drum fill and Matt took over playing the chords as Harry dropped his head to concentrate on his guitar solo.

His hair fell into his eyes and he was dimly aware of Matt coming to stand beside him but he kept his focus on the frets, even blocking out the appreciative claps and cheers from the crowd to make sure he played it perfectly.

With the solo done, Harry jumped back to the microphone for the finishing flourish.

"She's all that he wants, she's all that he needs, she's everything he just won't believe, take away his doubt, turn him inside out, then she can see what he's been dying to say." Harry's voice grew louder and more powerful over the increasing volume of the drums and guitars, bringing the song to an impressive crescendo.

"But things don't always turn out that way."

The crowd gave a resounding applause, many of them raising their hands in the double horned salute. Harry smiled and gave them a nod as he turned to take a large gulp of water from a bottle that was sitting on an amplifier.

The rest of the gig continued in the same fashion and by the fourth song the butterflies that had been twittering irritatingly around his stomach had apparently flown off, leaving only exhilaration and adrenalin.

When the final song was done, which Harry felt was all too soon, he stepped to the microphone one last time as he took off his guitar and thanked them for showing up, taking the time to advertise a gig they were playing with two other bands only three nights later.

He walked down the corridor the backstage room, carrying his thoroughly chipped guitar by the neck as he pushed perspiration covered hair from where it was stuck to his forehead. He entered the room where Seth had already collapsed onto a ripped leather couch and was dozing off with his head in his hands.

"Good fucking gig tonight!" Matt exclaimed, causing Seth to be startled out of his slumber and have his head slip off of his hand.

"Indeed it was." Alex replied, voice muffled by the cigarette that was held in his mouth as he zipped up his bass guitar case.

"So good in fact," Matt continued, "that I feel it was about time I got in on some of that alcohol." Alex shook his head at him as he blew out smoke.

"No can do Matty, you need to drive your car back remember?" Matt groaned and glared over at Harry who had just lit up a cigarette.

"This is your fault! If you could have been on time like everyone else then we could have all been going back in the van!" He said to Harry, his anger obviously false. Harry simply shrugged and smiled as he took a drag of tobacco. He heard Alex laughing from the doorway.

"No one will be going in the van if Seth doesn't manage to stay awake for more that two minutes but I think I'll have a drink before we leave." Alex stuck his tongue out at Matt before sidling out the door. Seth began to stand up from the couch slowly, rubbing his eyes as he shuffled out the room to begin packing up his drum kit. Harry picked up a well-used ashtray and flicked the head of the cigarette into it as he went to couch at the back of the room.

He sat the ashtray on a side table and laid his guitar on the couch. Harry took a long drag of his cigarette as Alex stuck his head back round the door.

"Harry?" Came Alex's voice, receiving a cigarette-muffled 'mmmhmm' from Harry.

"There's someone here who wants to see you, says he knows you from school." Alex said before taking a long gulp of his drink. Harry turned round with a frown on his face, it had been exactly two years the previous week since the Hogwarts graduation and the last time he had seen any of his professors or fellow pupils.

"Oh another Hogwarts graduate." Said Matt before getting up from the couch. Harry rolled his eyes; Matt, Seth and Alex had all gained OWLs at different schools over Britain having not been accepted to Hogwarts. It became a point of mockery but Harry didn't mind- it was all in good humour.

"Sure send him through here." Harry said to Alex with a dismissive wave of his hand before turning back round and sliding his guitar into the case. He heard Matt leaving the room, sliding through the door past Alex.

"Will do, it's not everyday a hot platinum blond shows up asking for you." Alex said before leaving. Harry stood up straight from where he was leaning over the couch and stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray.

"Platinum blond?" Harry asked out loud, a puzzled look on his face "I only knew one of them but…"

"But what Potter?" After two years Harry still knew that drawl, it wasn't easily forgotten.

Harry turned round slowly, keeping his eyes averted to the ground. His gaze started at metal-heeled boots that disappeared beneath the legs of sinfully tight leather trousers, that Harry noticed, stretched rather suggestively over the crotch area. A triangle of smooth, pale skin showed where the bottom four buttons of a sheer black shirt had been left open. The material shimmered slightly under the lights of the room, making Harry wonder if he had really seen the silver bar through the right nipple. Edges of collarbone could be seen where the shirt was unbuttoned at the top, the black material of the collar leading up the curve of a pale neck.

Harry's eyes reached the ends of bright blond hair that framed a strong jaw and slightly pointed chin. His suspicions confirmed, he brought his eyes up to meet a pair of black lined silver ones that were staring at him expectantly. Draco Malfoy was leaning casually on the frame of the backstage room door.

"Malfoy what a …surprise." Harry said, knowing that 'surprise' didn't quite describe the situation thoroughly enough. Draco pushed himself off the wooden doorframe and made his way across the room to where Harry was standing.

"Not as much of a surprise as it was to see that you are the front man of the band I've heard so many things about." Draco replied, as he got nearer.

"Well there has been a lot of hype on the underground about us, what's most surprising is that you heard anything. You're probably the last person I would expect to see in a muggle rock club." Harry stated as he turned back round to his guitar case.

"Potter," Draco began "I'm about as hated in the wizarding world as you are loved." Harry looked back around at the blond with his brow furrowed. Draco shrugged, "Death Eaters son's aren't exactly well liked, the Ministry took everything my father had. I'm just lucky I already had everything my mother left me." He finished with a smirk that Harry couldn't see.

Harry zipped up his guitar case and felt Draco come to stand directly behind him. Harry stood up straight and turned around quickly, bringing him almost nose to nose with Draco. The blonde's breath ghosted over Harry's face as he began to speak.

"You've certainly …grown up since I saw you at graduation." Draco said, raising an eyebrow. Harry stared blankly at Draco's silver eyes, blinking a few times. "It isn't like you to have nothing to say Potter." Harry swallowed hard and managed to regain his voice.

"Malfoy, I haven't seen you for two years and suddenly you show up at a muggle club of all places and begin blatantly hitting on me. I think I can be forgiven for being at a loss for words." Harry said, trying to ignore the smirk of Draco's face as the blond moved impossibly closer.

"People change." Draco said softly as he tilted his head, "I'm living in the muggle world now," he began "maybe I could give you a call and we could …go out for some fun perhaps?" he finished, raising an eyebrow.

Harry's eyes flicked down to Draco's glossed lips and then back up to his darkly decorated silver eyes. He groped his hand behind him blindly until his hand came to rest on a pile of leaflets. He pressed one to Draco's chest and pushed the blond away with it. Draco frowned and looked at the yellow paper as Harry stepped round him to another couch.

"That's the gig we're playing, it's in three days. We're the first band on so if you're really that interested you can find me at the bar after Samsara's set." Harry explained as stuffed various things into his pockets. Draco raised an eyebrow once again.

"Playing hard to get Potter?" Draco asked rhetorically. He sighed and slid the leaflet into his pocket. "Very well …but you won't last long." Harry looked up from the table to watch at Draco's retreating back as the blond left the room.

"Is that a challenge Malfoy?" He asked. Draco turned around in the doorway.

"Always." Draco left the room and Harry flopped down onto the couch, throwing his arm over his eyes. He heard Alex come bounding back into the room and dropping down next to him.

"You just let him leave? Are you mad?" Alex said, his voice higher in pitch than was normal. Harry nodded feebly.

"It certainly feels like I've gone mad. The last time I saw him he looked positively gleeful at the fact that he wouldn't be seeing me again. He was a git at school, I find it hard to believe he can have changed that much." Harry said as he looked from behind his arm at Alex.

"Erm Harry? Have you looked at yourself recently? Two years can do drastic things to a person. Besides, how long has it been since you had an offer that good?" Alex asked, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Me and Malfoy …it's crazy is what it is." Harry said, still obviously bemused by the blonde's earlier advances.

"Oh please," Alex admonished, "if I had a knife I'd break it trying to cut the sexual tension!" Harry groaned as Alex continued, "so you hated each other then?" Harry nodded. Alex looked thoughtful for a moment "It's a fine line between love and hate Harry." Harry gave Alex an incredulous look, causing Alex to smile "or, as the case may be, a fine line between anger and lust."

Harry groaned again and threw his head onto the back of the couch. Thoughts of messing up Draco's immaculate blond hair and smearing the eyeliner across his face flitted through Harry's mind and he allowed himself a small smirk. Fate throws crazy situations into life sometimes, Harry knew this well, but this one, he thought to himself, could be more fun than expected.

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_To be continued…?_

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Notes:** The song that Samsara performed was 'Things don't always turn out that way' by The Calling, I don't own it either …it isn't actually even my CD. Any questions can be asked by email.


	2. The Surreal World of the Clothes Shop

**Notes** I didn't mean to take as long in updating as I have, I shall strive not to let it happen again. Thanks to those who reviewed my first chapter and gave me and extra confidence boost. More feedback is of course greatly appreciated. Enjoy sweetheart.

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Harry was seated on a black, fur-covered stool behind a red vinyl covered counter. His legs were crossed as he picked at the chips in his dark green nail polish, boredom evident on his face and in his body language. Thursdays were always slow days at his work. Being a shop filled with various items of gothic clothing, band t-shirts, baggy jeans and the racks of rubber clothes in the basement meant that a lot of clientele were groups of teenagers, all of which would be in school on this particularly sunny Thursday afternoon. The rest of the customers (twenty and thirty something rockers all the way up to fifty year old aging bikers) would either be working or hiding from the sunlight.

Over the course of the day there had been a total of eight customers, which was even slower than usual, and so Harry was finding himself slowly nodding off in his chair.

"You're going to be oozing charisma tonight aren't you?" came Alex's sarcastic voice from somewhere behind a pile of platform shoes. His head popped up, strands of his chin length black hair sticking to his clear lip-gloss.

"What are you on about?" Harry asked through a yawn.

"You." Alex replied as he clambered out from behind the shoes, narrowly avoiding tripping on a stray pink stiletto. He turned around, placing his hands on his hips as he glared down at the shoes. "This delivery is going to take forever to organize."

Harry gave Alex a pointed look as he turned back round from the shoes.

"If you hadn't insisted on trying on _every _single one then maybe you would have had the display done by now." He replied, standing languidly from the stool and stretching his arms above his head. Harry snorted at the look of feigned consideration on Alex's face. It was the only good thing about the weekday shift- he and Alex were alone running the shop.

"I suppose you may have a point." Alex agreed, bending down to unbuckle the glittering, turquoise platform shoe he was currently wearing. "What I _was _saying was that not only do you have to slip into front-man mode for the gig tonight but you'll need any extra charisma for hooking up with that Malfoy guy." He finished as he tossed the shoes back into the pile.

Harry crouched down behind the counter, rummaging around on the bottom shelf.

"He probably won't even show up." Harry said as he stood back up, a cloth and a bottle of glass cleaner.

"What went on between the two of you at school?" Alex asked as Harry headed across the room to the fitting room cubicles.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Alex began as he dropped back to the floor, "I know you Harry, normally if a guy, especially one that hot, showed any interest in you, you would be bouncing off the walls so I figure something pretty major must have happened." He mused as he began sorting the shoes into pairs and lining them up against a wall.

Harry sighed as he squirted cleaning solution onto the ragged cloth and began wiping at the first mirror.

"I told you, he was git." Harry tried to make the sentence seem final but apparently Alex was not relenting.

"For some reason I think there's more to it than that."

"Malfoy was, and quite probably still is, a bigoted, pureblood tosser. He made fun of everyone who was half-blood or muggle born and saw himself as above them." Harry looked in the mirror he was cleaning to see Alex's reflection, the other man was scowling, not something he often did. Both he and Seth were muggle born and Alex, having endured a great deal of stigma when he was younger, could only ever be angered by mentions of wizarding bigotry.

"He hated me from the very beginning, continually making comments about how I was 'Perfect Potter' and about my lack of parents. I hated him as well. He spent so long trying to be a carbon copy of his father, how he never ended up with a dark mark is beyond me." Harry continued, eager to change the conversation to prevent Alex from exploding.

Alex frowned, piling up the empty shoeboxes.

"His father? Wait. Malfoy …he's _Lucius _Malfoy's son?" Alex asked incredulously, standing up from the floor and brushing himself off. Harry nodded as he stepped out of the cubicle.

"Afraid so." Harry stated as he stepped into the next fitting room. "I don't even want to think about what Seth would say if he found out." Harry's comment was met with silence as both Alex and he remembered Seth telling them about his mother and sister being targeted by Death Eaters for being the family of a muggle born wizard. It had never been proven for a fact but it was widely believed that Lucius Malfoy was the Death Eater in charge of the attack that killed them both during the second war.

"Look," Alex said as he came and leant against the entrance to the cubicle, "Malfoy seemed different from what you have told me, time changes people. He has grown up and so have you. If he still hated you then he wouldn't have been hitting on you." Harry paused his wiping of the mirror. Alex had a point. A very good one at that. He heard Alex snort with amusement. "You never thought of that did you?"

Harry turned around and brushed past Alex. He went to the display case that contained the shops more expensive jewellery and sprayed some of the cleaner on his cloth.

"No, that thought hadn't occurred to me." Harry sighed as he began wiping the glass, "I just don't see it as being anything long term."

"Never say never Harry." Alex said as he made his way to the door that led to the back rooms.

"Says you! You're not exactly Mr Relationship are you?" Harry asked with a smirk on face.

"No I'm not," Alex replied honestly, "and I'm perfectly happy so who says you and him can't have a little fun? Even if there _isn't _any future in it." He pushed open the door that took him from the shop floor, "I'm going for a smoke, I'm assuming you can handle the madness of the shop." He said, waving his hand around the desolate room.

"I'll give it my best shot." Harry replied, laughing as Alex disappeared.

A few minutes and several glass and mirrored surfaces later Harry was bored again. With no sign of Alex actually coming back in the foreseeable future, Harry busied himself by making sure the band t-shirts were all in alphabetical order. Over the music of the CD Harry heard the door open and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, customers." He muttered under his breath.

Harry straightened up, fixing the t-shirts back into a line before turning around. He was greeted with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

"You have got to be joking." Harry said, suddenly shutting up when he realised he has spoken out loud.

"Is that anyway to greet a customer Potter?" Was the drawled reply from the blond who was now standing casually beside a rack of mini skirts.

"I'm just surprised to see you here in a muggle shop of all places." Harry said as he stepped behind the counter. Draco rolled his eyes as he began flipping through a display of shirts.

"Yes because that is so much more surprising than seeing me in a muggle club." He paused his flipping to give quiet regard to one of the shirts. "Besides, if one is going to a muggle club then one needs a muggle shop in which to buy muggle clothes. And, it would seem, fate really has it in for us."

Harry watched as Draco moved to a railing of trousers. With the blonde's back turned. Harry allowed himself a quick sweep of Draco's body, eyes lingering on the blonde's ass longer than Harry would have liked. Draco stepped to another rack, pausing briefly to check his reflection in one of the mirrors. Harry rolled his eyes at the blonde's vanity.

"This muggle club you're going to…" Harry began, not quite sure how he wished to finish his sentence.

"The one you are playing at tonight yes." Draco said nonchalantly as he pulled a pair of trousers from the rack.

"So you're definitely coming then." It wasn't a question, Harry was merely thinking aloud.

"Of course I am." Draco said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "did you think I wouldn't?" he asked as he held the trousers to his hips. They were black, tight around the waist and ass but baggy at the legs, adorned with straps of blue material. "What do you think?" Draco asked.

"I wouldn't have expected you to show up and you'd be better suited to something with chains as opposed to bondage straps." Harry replied; arms folded casually over his stomach. As Draco turned back round to replace the trousers, Harry shook his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"Better?" Draco asked, now holding a pair of flared black jeans, decorated with chains and red stitching.

"Yes but I'd never pegged you as someone to wear red." Harry responded as Draco stepped back to the rack of shirts.

"As long as it isn't paired with gold." The blond said with a smirk as he pulled a red shirt, complete with black dragon decal, from the rack. He held it up, inspecting it.

"Very appropriate." Harry said with a roll of his eyes. Draco frowned.

"The gold or the dragon?" He walked to the wall that held the hanging display of belts.

"Both actually." The shop phone rang and Harry stepped around the counter and answered it, leaving Draco to his browsing. He grabbed a pen and notepad from beneath the counter and scribbled down the message being left by the caller. Bidding a polite goodbye, Harry hung up the phone, looking up to find Draco missing.

"So what have you done since leaving Hogwarts?" came Draco's voice from one of the fitting room cubicles. Harry walked over to the one right the corner, leaning against the wall next to it.

"Nothing that you haven't already seen me doing- working here and playing in Samsara. What about you? What rock did you crawl under?" Harry heard Draco snort as he pulled open the curtain of the fitting room.

"What do you think?" Draco asked, sweeping a hand over the outfit as he turned back around to look at himself in the full-length mirror. Harry avoiding staring too long at Draco's ass which was distractedly highlighted by the tightness of the trousers.

"Nice." Was all Harry said in response. Draco rolled his eyes at Harry's obvious lack of use for adjectives. The blond went back into the fitting room cubicle and pulled the curtain shut.

"I travelled around for a few months before father's trial, after it was over and done with I got my flat and have been happily wasting time since." Harry heard the distinct sound of trousers hitting the floor during the blonde's speech.

"So basically you do nothing?" Harry asked, noticing Alex creeping back into the shop- it was the only time he was quiet: when there was even any sign of seduction in the room.

"Basically, I do a bit of writing some days. Nothing of epic proportions but it keeps my brain engaged, then at nights I go out. It's a simple life but I seem to like it that way."

Draco pulled open the curtain, back in his own clothes, the jeans and shirt hanging over his arm. He ran his free hand through his blond hair, checking nothing was out of place. He made his way across to the counter where Alex was now sitting, doing a feeble job of pretending he wasn't spying on the pair.

"You're Samsara's bassist aren't you?" Draco asked as he laid the garment on the surface of the counter. Alex nodded and smiled.

"Alex." He said, holding a hand out to Draco. The blond took it and gave it a shake as Harry too stepped behind the counter, taking the security tags from the clothes.

"Draco." The blond replied with a curt nod as the handshake was broken.

"So I've heard." Alex said with a mischievous grin as keyed in the price of the trousers. Harry was fishing a bag out from the shelf behind the counter and so the other two missed his quiet groan.

"Yes but I'm sure Potter didn't have the nicest things to say about me after I left the gig on Monday night." Draco said, raising an eyebrow at Harry who had busied himself folding up Draco's purchases. The blond handed over a muggle credit card and Alex swiped it.

"No he didn't to be honest but like I told him- people change." Alex replied as he handed Draco the receipt and a pen with which to sign it.

"Wise words, lets just hope he listens to them." Draco smirked as he handed the signed receipt back to Alex. Harry was pretty sure Alex was nearing the stage where he would be getting throttled. Alex just chuckled as he stepped from behind the counter and wandered to back of the shop. Blatantly leaving Harry and Draco alone once more. Harry slid the bag across the counter to the blond who took it in his hand and hung it by his side.

"Well Malfoy, we actually managed a civil conversation. It has only taken us what? Nine years?" Harry asked as he leant forward on one elbow, head tilted slightly as he looked at Draco.

"Wonders will never cease Potter." He leant down to the counter, his face nearer Harry's than it should have been.

Harry's eyes flicked subtly to the blonde's lips. Draco smiled softly as his fingers curled around his receipt that still lay on the counter. Harry seemed to snap out of his daze at the crackling noise of the paper.

"I'll see you tonight Potter." Draco said quietly before he stood up straight again. Harry blinked a couple of times until he too stood up. The blond turned and headed to the door.

"See you Malfoy …maybe I'lleven let you buy me a drink." Harry added with a smirk that didn't quite rival the one Draco sent back.

"That would be…" Draco bit his bottom lip and stared at the ceiling as he searched for an appropriate word, "delightful." He said finally with a smirk. Harry snorted but smiled back at the blond as Draco left the shop.

Harry watched out the window as Draco crossed the street and disappeared round a corner. He turned back to face in the shop; pretty sure he was still smiling. He looked up to see Alex sending him a knowing smile over the top of a make-up stand.

"Oh shut up."

-

**  
Notes: **I had planned on putting the gig in this chapter as well but felt it would end up too long so I left it there. Expect the next chapter to be out a lot quicker than this one was. New little feature for the end of chapters (idea taken from Kerrang magazine) feel free to **not** read it, I'm really just doing it to satisfy myself.

**  
This chapter was created by…**triple strength bowl-sized mugs of black coffee, My Chemical Romance, Franz Ferdinand, the dislodging of CS' writers block, nearly breaking my toe on this months 'Vogue', an addiction to the new Nine Inch Nails video and cold shower inducing thoughts about Trent Reznor, getting phone calls asking if I wanted to go on a drive at 9.50pm and returning home an hour later with a numb hand.


	3. Stilettos Gigs Donuts Harry Draco

**  
Notes:** So here it is, the gig chapter! Originally I had planned to go into detail about one of the songs but I ended up putting so much into the chapter that I felt it would end up too long therefore it is glossed over, I hope no one minds terribly. There's plenty of information revealed about Harry's life in this chapter, so if any of you had been wondering certain things then they may be here.

Hours, Harry had decided, went by a lot faster when your mind was else where and he had spent the last three of them staring vacantly ahead, daydreaming about the nights up and coming gig. Every so often Alex had attempted to engage him in an (arguably) intelligent conversation only to find himself met with one-word answers and head movements.

Harry watched the second hand on the wall clock ticking as time inched ever slower to five o'clock. Finally he gave in with a loud sigh.

"That is it!" He exclaimed, his outburst startling Alex from where he was dozing against a rack of skirts. Harry hopped from his stool and made his way around from the back of the counter to the door. He yanked his keys from the chain and locked the door, pulling down the shutters before clipping the keys back on.

"Oh Harry," Alex said as he clambered up from the floor, "locking up ten minutes early? Aren't you the little rebel?" He finished sarcastically as he slipped behind the counter, opened the till and began counting the money.

"Yes yes rebellious." Harry replied distractedly as he took one of the tester eyeliners from the shop's make-up display. He drew over the fading line on his top eyelids before seeking out an appropriately coloured eye shadow.

"Must be those pre-gig nerves," Alex pondered as he stuffed the money into a bag ready to put in the safe in the back of the shop, "either that or something else about tonight has you a little jittery." He said nonchalantly as he too sidled up to the make-up display and picked up a green eye shadow.

"No idea what you mean Alex." Harry said innocently as he finished swiping dark blue over his eyelids and began touching up the liner on his bottom lids.

"Sure you don't." He replied, fixing his own eye make-up as Harry moved away and gave him free reign of the mirror.

Harry headed to the other side of the shop, pushing open the door to the back room. It was a small, dimly lit room, it's walls covered in pictures of bands, clippings from magazines and several photographs of drunken work outings. Harry knelt down and rummaged in his bag that sat precariously on one of the worn office style chairs.

He pulled out his blue mesh top and a rather crushed looking Green Day t-shirt (borrowed from Alex who had stolen it from his younger brother). Harry felt around at the bottom of his bag until his fingers curled around the polished wood of his wand. Extracting it, he gave it a casual wave in the general direction of the t-shirt and the wrinkles were charmed from the cotton. Harry swiftly undid the buttons of his shirt and let it fall from his shoulders to the floor. As he went to pick up the mesh top the back door of the shop opened and he was met with the sound of a wolf whistle.

"My my; I wasn't expecting a show." Harry rolled his eyes as he pulled the top over his head.

"Hey Matt. Everything ready?" Harry asked as he picked up the t-shirt. Matt gave him an 'mmmhmm' in response, planting himself on one of the chairs and opening his bottle of water at the same moment Alex came into the room. Harry's head popped out the top of the t-shirt as Matt snorted out the mouthful of water he had just taken.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked as he adjusted the t-shirt. It clung to his chest and arms seeing as it was a little too small, giving Harry the tight-fitting appearance he was hoping for. He turned round and suddenly began giggling.

Alex, who had now closed and locked the door that led out to the shop was standing in a green mid-thigh length skirt and matching shirt that was at least two sizes too small.

"What?" Alex questioned as he made his way to where his bag sat beneath a desk, "you'd think you hadn't seen me in a skirt before." Harry swung his bag over one shoulder and shrugged as he looked at Matt who was still wiping water from his face.

"He has a point you know." Harry said as he opened the back door and walked out the alleyway. He could hear Matt and Alex following; the latter's two-inch stilettos clicking on the concrete as he climbed into the passenger seat beside Seth.

"Alright Harry?" he asked, turning the down the music that was playing.

"Yeah, alright Seth?" Harry replied. Seth nodded in return and started up the van. He was a man of few words, quiet in most social settings but one hell of a drummer- Harry had never seen someone normally so quiet make so much noise.

The back doors of the van opened and closed, Matt and Alex clambering past drums, guitars and amplifiers to seat themselves in the two seats behind Seth and Harry. Music blaring, they drove off, Harry rolling down the window and lighting up a cigarette as they did so.

Half an hour later they were pulling up at the back of 'Copyright', the club where Samsara had already played several gigs. Unloading the equipment and instruments, Seth, Matt and Harry all watched in amusement as Alex attempted to descend the stairs into the club while wearing stilettos and carrying a bass guitar and amp. The end result being him slipping on the last step and having to be caught by one of the bartenders.

In spite of leaving the shop on time, there was still little time for the band to set up before people began streaming into the club. As Matt signalled that they were ready to play, Harry scanned the crowd for a sign of Draco but failed to see anything as the lights focussed on the stage.

The set went smoothly, a fast paced blur of crunching guitar riffs and heavy pounding bass lines that accentuated the powerful drive of the drums. All of which were complemented by the soulful melodies of the lyrics, sometimes upbeat over a positively bouncing backing, other times haunting and mournful, over minor chords strummed slowly on a loan guitar. The final song ended the set in a flourish of catchy choruses, Matt playing a solo while standing atop an amp and Alex nearly toppling from his stilettos. All in all, Harry thought as they all walked into the backstage area, a good evening.

The members of Samsara each began the task of putting away their respective instruments and, with his guitar packed back in its case, Harry left the backstage area and wandered out onto the main floor of the club, the click-clack of high heels telling him that Alex was not far behind. The second band was setting up for their set as Alex and Harry hoisted themselves onto two empty barstools. Alex ordered them both drinks as Harry looked across the sea of people. He was startled out of his search by Alex sitting a drink down heavily in front of him.

"He'll be here Harry just …drink up." Alex assured him. Harry snorted- Alex's solution to most problems was _'_drink up'. Harry took a large mouthful, the welcome taste of vodka coming through the taste of the coke. Harry spotted a flustered looking Matt pushing past the throngs of people as he made his way towards them. Finally he made it, one arm collapsing onto the bar to hold him up.

"God it's bloody roasting in here," he declared after getting his breath back, "right- Seth starts work in a couple of hours so if either of you want a lift then we're going now." He stole Harry's drink and took a mouthful, screwing up his face as he set it back down, "vodka- I should have known. So are you two ladies staying here?"

Alex reached around Harry to punch Matt in the arm for his comment, momentarily forgetting that he was the one wearing the skirt. Harry didn't notice the exchange as he was still searching the heads of the crowd for the crop of familiar blond hair.

"I'll stay with Harry …can't have him sitting alone waiting for his blond prince can we?" Alex said with a smirk at Matt over the top of Harry's head.

"Well he won't be waiting long." Matt replied, nodding to somewhere behind Alex. Harry's head whipped round non-too-subtly, eyes locking with Draco's as he pushed his way past a group of giggling girls who were pointing at one of guitarists on the stage.

Draco came to stand between Alex and Harry and greeted both Matt and Alex in turn before turning his attentions to Harry.

"I _was_ planning on buying you a drink but it would seem you have already been supplied with one." He drawled, resting his hand on the bar beside Harry's and leaning ever so slightly into him. Alex hopped from his stool, snatched up Harry's cup and promptly downed the remaining volume of liquid.

"There," he said triumphantly, "now no one has a drink. I'll head off with Matt and Seth," he said, stepping past Harry, "Draco, a pleasure to see you again." He smiled at Draco who gave him a polite smile in return, "Harry, I'll see you bright and early for work in the morning I'm sure." He winked at the pair of them, causing Harry to groan and Draco to smirk.

"Goodnight Alex." Harry said exasperatedly through clenched teeth. Alex blew him a kiss, smiling cheekily as he strode away in his high heels and disappeared backstage. Harry shook his head in amusement before turning back to Draco.

"So what'll it be Potter?" The blond asked, sitting down on the stool that Alex had vacated.

"Vodka and coke." Harry replied on instinct. Draco noticed this snap decision.

"Is that your usual?" He asked and Harry nodded in response, "I'll need to remember that." Draco stated before ordering drinks from the bartender. When the drinks had been placed in front of them, Draco took his in his hand and turned on his stool to face Harry.

"That was another great performance earlier Potter." He said before taking a sip of his drink. Harry smiled modestly and shook his head a little.

"Thanks. We did okay- there was a couple of moments during 'Pretending' where we all lost our timing a little but it's a new song so no one really noticed. My chords were a little off during the first chorus of 'Anywhere Is' but luckily the drums are pretty heavy and it was drowned out…" Harry trailed off at the look Draco was giving him, "sorry I'm rambling," he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head in a nervous gesture, "I tend to do that when I start talking about the band." He took a large mouthful of his drink, avoiding Draco's gaze and not noticing the smile he was giving him.

"Don't apologise, I was just thinking that if you'd been as obsessive over your school work you would have done a lot better." Draco remarked, causing Harry to snort disbelievingly.

"I doubt it- school work wasn't really my strong point." He took another mouthful of the vodka.

"Quidditch on the other hand…" Draco began, moving closer to Harry to avoid any muggles listening in on the conversation. The blond watched Harry's lips curve into a wistful smile at the memory of Quidditch and he frowned, "why did you leave Potter?" He asked.

Harry sighed- he'd expected Draco to ask that at some point but he'd never had to explain his reasons to anyone before. Neither Alex, Seth nor Matt had asked why Harry had left the wizarding world and Harry had never asked them- it was like some unwritten rule: it didn't matter _how_ they got there, only that they were there. As he opened his mouth to reply the second band struck up the first riff of their set, drowning out any noise that Harry's voice could have made. Draco leaned over to him, bringing his mouth to his ear.

"Lets go find somewhere else …somewhere quieter." Draco's breath blew across Harry's skin and he suppressed a shudder. Harry turned round, nose barely missing Draco's as he nodded in agreement. Draco slid off his stool, quickly finishing the rest of his drink before sweeping his arm out and indicating for Harry to go first.

The two made their way to the stairs that led back up to the street and Harry ended up behind Draco on the stairs, finally getting a good look at what the blond was wearing that evening. Harry felt oddly pleased to see that Draco was indeed wearing the outfit he had purchased at the shop earlier that day. The black jeans clung sinfully around the curve of his ass and the red shirt hung loosely on his torso, the movements of Draco's back giving life to the dragon decal on the back.

When they finally reached the top of the stairs, Harry's fishnet covered arms were met with the chill of the May evening and he wrapped his arms around himself. Draco turned to Harry, silver eyes lined heavily in black.

"Any where in particular you want to go?" He asked as they walked slowly side by side up the street.

"I could go something to eat," Harry shrugged as Draco looked at him, "performing makes me hungry." Draco snorted before Harry nodded in the direction of a café across the road, "they're always open late and do the best donuts …there's at least a pound of sugar in them but it's worth it."

"Sounds good to me." Draco replied and they crossed the street and entered the brightly lit café.

The woman behind the counter greeted Harry with a motherly smile.

"Will it be your usual?" She asked softly. Draco gave Harry a quizzical look as the dark haired boy nodded.

"Yeah and Malfoy what about you?" He asked the blond.

"A black coffee." He said promptly and Harry nodded to the woman who went about retrieving the order. After placing down some money, Harry stepped from the counter and led Draco to an empty booth beside the window where they sat on opposite sides of the blue table.

"You must come here a lot then." Draco asked conversationally. Harry nodded.

"We play at the band night in 'Copyright' every couple of weeks." He explained, gesturing to the club across the street. The waitress came to the table, sitting a steaming cup of black coffee in front of Draco and a mug of tea, a sugar covered donut and a pile of change in front of Harry. Draco quirked an eyebrow.

"Tea Potter?" He asked with a smirk, taking a slow sip of his coffee before sitting it back down, "not very rock and roll is it?" Harry smirked back as he pulled the donut apart.

"No but it's meant to be good for my voice …either that or it is a habit from spending too much time in Dumbledore's office." He replied with a smirk of his own before popping a piece of the donut into his mouth.

"Which reminds me," Draco began, taking a bit of donut from Harry's plate, "you have yet to answer my question from earlier." He put his piece of donut in his mouth just as Harry swallowed his and frowned.

"I'd rather not talk about it …not tonight anyway." He cupped his hands around his mug and stared pensively at the dark liquid.

"Okay," Draco replied having finished his stolen segment of donut, "why don't you tell me how Samsara came about then?" Harry looked up from his tea, eyes radiating a youthful excitement.

"Well I was staying in a hotel at the time, nothing fancy mind you, and I'd decided I wanted for once to live a normal life." He picked up another bit of donut and held it out to Draco who declined with a wave of his hand, "So the first thing I did was look for a flat …before I had the chance to look properly I stumbled into Alex and within half an hour he was dragging my back to the flat and insisting that I was the roommate they were looking for." Harry chuckled to himself as he took a sip of tea, "he can be rather persuasive like that. One day Matt came across me sitting writing, I let him see, he picked up his guitar and began playing around with some chords. Next thing I know, there's a melody in my head that fit the words and bang!" He emphasised the point by sitting his mug down heavily, "a band was formed. Matt ended up teaching me guitar when we all decided the songs needed more texture." He began chewing on a piece of donut now that he had finished his story.

"When did the make-over take place then?" Draco asked, his eyes sweeping over the eyeliner and fishnet clad brunette. Harry rolled his eyes and smiled across the table at Draco. "Alex I'm guessing then?" Harry nodded.

"I actually started off by stealing his clothes until finally he got so pissed off that he dragged me to work with him one day, which is how I ended up working in Black Addition by the way, and came home with a new wardrobe and, like I said, a job." Both men took several mouthfuls of their rapidly cooling drinks. "The lip ring though, that was my idea." Harry said, biting on said ring with his teeth, "I felt it went with the hair." He explained, flicking the flopping sweep of hair from the left side of his face, scrunching his nose up as it landed back on his face.

Draco's eyes had flicked from Harry's lips to his forehead when the hair had been flipped and he was now gazing intently into Harry's eyes. The brunette, realising what Draco had seen, was nervously patting his hair down. Draco grabbed Harry's wrist and placed it back on the table before letting go.

"I'd wondered if it was still there." Draco said, eyes never leaving Harry's.

"I almost forget about it sometimes," Harry shrugged as he drained the last of the tea from the mug, "no one sees it any more …well other than Matt, Seth and Alex but that's only because they see me when I roll from my bed in the morning." He said, a small smile on his face as he took the second last piece of donut and held it out to Draco. The blond paused before taking it, watching as Harry picked up the last piece.

"Can I see it?" Draco asked softly, leaning across the table slightly. Harry looked up from the piece of donut he was about to nibble on and stared back at the blond. Eventually, he gave a small nod, wiping sugar from his fingers before pushing his hair to the side. He averted his eyes as Draco looked at it, leaning even further across the table. He raised his hand, the tip of his index finger trailing the shape of it lightly. Harry tried to let the hitch of his breath pass inconspicuously. Draco preceded to run his finger down the side of Harry's face and across his cheek.

"I don't get it," Draco said quietly, "everyone made such a fuss about it but …it's just a part of you, it's not like no one else has scars." Harry smiled and sat back in his chair at Draco's words.

"You are probably the only person who has come out and said that to me." He slid the piece of donut into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully as he looked across at the blond.

"Well perhaps you are just bringing out some terrible Gryffindor side of me." Draco commented with an eyebrow raised as he popped the piece of food in his mouth.

"We can't have that, heaven forbid that a Slytherin show a human side!" Harry sighed dramatically, "I should leave before you have some sort of identity crisis." Draco snorted, downing the donut with the last mouthful of his coffee. "Actually …I probably should leave- Alex wasn't joking when he said we would be up bright and early for work." Draco nodded in understanding as he brushed the sugar from his fingers.

"How are you getting home?" Draco asked as they slid from the booth and walked across the café. Harry gestured across the street where three taxis were sitting waiting for customers.

"It doesn't cost too much to get to the flat from here." He said as they stepped back out into the cool night air, "What about you?" They waited for a few cars to pass before crossing the road and walking towards the taxis.

"I might just find somewhere to apparate from." Draco replied nonchalantly.

"Gods," Harry breathed, "it's been almost two years since I apparated …I never did like doing it mind you." He said as they stepped up to the first taxi. Harry turned round to face Draco, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious under the blonde's stare.

"So do I get to give you a call yet?" Draco asked, his lips curving into a smirk. Harry smirked right back; fishing around in his pockets for the pen he had borrowed at work from Alex earlier.

"I think you may have earned that right." Harry replied, the teasing tone obvious in his voice. He found the pen and took Draco's right hand in his left. Harry wrote down the phone number for his flat on the pale skin. "If someone answers telling you that you've reached a gay sex line just say 'Hey Alex'." Draco chuckled as he inspected the back of his hand, "It isn't funny!" Harry protested, "There's been a lot of important calls missed because of that." Draco hummed in amused understanding.

"Pink ink Potter?" Draco said in amusement, his fingers still clasped around Harry's.

"Oh shut up Malfoy." Harry replied pulling his hand away but Draco snatched it back, placing a light kiss on the knuckles. Draco let Harry's hand drop and the brunette rolled his eyes, "you definitely are going soft Malfoy." He said as he opened the door of the taxi.

"Yes, it must be time for me to disappear into a dungeon and prod fluffy animals with sticks." Draco said; his voice laced with feigned sincerity. Harry laughed as he sat in the back seat.

"Don't joke- I could believe it!" Draco smiled at him as he took a few steps backwards.

"I'll speak to you soon Potter." Draco said while Harry closed the car door over a little.

"Night …I'm glad you showed up tonight Draco." He added as an after thought. Draco's lips quirked but he refrained from making a big song and dance.

"Me too Harry." He smirked and shut the taxi door for Harry who was shaking his head at how ridiculous the situation really was.

Harry gave his address to the driver and gave Draco a brief wave and a smile out the window before the taxi drove off.

**  
Notes:** Again I took longer getting this written than I meant so sorry about that sweethearts! This chapter was a bit longer than I intended and I'm not sure I like it yet but oh well!

**  
This chapter was created by…** the new Nine Inch Nails album, getting caught in the rain (sadly without a Pina Colada), the buzzing noise my rabbit is making, insomnia, unbearable writers block, a craving for chicken, glitter and air drums.

**Added Note:** As you may know is clamping down on fics that have song lyrics in them, they haven't gotten to this one yet but they have taken down eight of my other fics. Basically I've had enough of this site and won't be updating here so all my HP fiction can be found at hpfandom(dot)com under the penname Aurora Enkeli Medeis.


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